It's now Bung Karno Sports Complex

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid gave the green light on Sunday to rename the Senayan Sports Complex as Bung Karno Sports Complex in order to honor the country's first president Sukarno.

"I accept the suggestion to change the name of the Senayan Sports Complex to Bung Karno Sports Complex," Abdurrahman said in front of tens of thousands of cheering supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) during the party's 28th anniversary at the Senayan stadium.

"I did not approve the change because PDI Perjuangan supporters asked for it but because Sukarno was the one who built the complex."

Sukarno -- father of Indonesian Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also chairman of PDI Perjuangan -- started the construction of the complex in 1958 in preparation to host the 1962 Asian Games.

The complex, which was later on known as Senayan Sports Complex during the New Order regime, has often hosted the National Games and the Southeast Asian Games.

Abdurrahman said he would order the State Secretariat, which supervised the complex's maintenance, and Jakarta's Governor Sutiyoso to preserve the name Bung Karno Sports Complex soon.

Sukarno also issued a presidential decree No. 318 dated Sept. 24, 1962, which formalized the set up of the Bung Karno Sports Complex Foundation under the direct supervision of the president.

A later presidential decree No. 4/1984 appointed the Gelora Senayan Management Board (BPGS) -- under the State Secretariat -- as the manager of the complex and mandated to arrange all business cooperation with those who leased land within the complex.

The complex is located on 275 hectares of land in Central Jakarta. Some of the land was also used for the state-owned TVRI building, the Parliament building and the Ministry of Forestry.

Other parts of the land are used for private hotels, shopping malls and business centers.

With the implementation of regional autonomy it is still unclear whether the complex will be under the authority of Jakarta's administration or the State Secretariat. (dja)